Chapter 24: Klayer To'lya

Thellus Asteroid, Dressel System

Pandemonium. That was the best word to describe the situation in the Marshalcy Situation Room. Sheer pandemonium.

Klayer ran out of breath. She began gasping for air. She had screamed for forty seconds straight.

On the main viewer, police vehicles and news crews closed in around the Bio-Cubical New Mandalorian Consulate. Two of Klayer's Marshals were taken into custody on stretchers. Her fur was flat as they were taken in through the front doors.

Their battering ram Hover-scoot still laid mangled on the Mandalorian desolation. Blood and clumps of fur contrasted heavily against the white sand.

"SHTAK!" Tav yelped, his fur too flat.

"This is Plum-four," Grafisk's voice came through the main viewer. "I lost visual on the target. Need clues as to Ditmas Shar's whereabouts."

"Uh…" Klayer croaked. "Actual to Plum four, break off pursuit and return to headquarters." Her voice was half-dead from screaming and yelping in terror. Her fur relaxed and twirled unhappily. No one died. Two of mine are injured yes, in foreign custody, yes, but not dead.

"Sir, what if the New Mandalorians are helping Ditmas Shar?!" Captain Mithir Fey'lab yelped suddenly, turning to Tav's chair. "Sir?!"

Klayer turned. "Where is the Colonel?" Her ears perked up then flapped down as the back door to the situation room slammed shut loudly. Holy shtak. The Colonel! Son of a bitch! He's—

—With a snarl, Klayer sprinted across the room. "Colonel!" she shrieked down the hallway. "Sir!" she yelped spinning and running in the other direction, then nearly ran into him. Tav was standing right there.

"What is it Lieutenant?!" Tav snarled. His rant began as a snarl, but quickly devolved into terrified yelps. "There is nothing we can do right now! Someone is keeping Askar in the dark about this. They have Shidar! On top of that, we just created an interstellar incident!"

"Sir," Klayer snarled, "you cannot just desert us like this. We are—"

"—Go check on Gavresk and Mayer!" he ordered. "Then go home. We are just going home early, that's all. I need time to think!"

He bounded out the front doors of the Marshalcy's Field Office, walking quickly to the Buli.

Klayer stared, wondering for a moment, if Tav was going to do the smart thing. Come forward and tell the Thellus Police. Her fur relaxed as he walked closer and closer to the Buli's main entrance, then it swirled nervously when Tav instead walked straight into the Manda Cantina to the right of the Buli's main entrance.

Holy kriffing shtak!

o-o-o

Shidar Zhol'skar

"Riduur," Pul said as he knocked on the bedroom door.

Shidar pulled the headset buds out of her ear, Askar Heavy Permacrete music snarling away audibly for a moment until she hit the pause button on her datapad. "Lek?" [Yeah?] she asked, her fur swirling nervously. I hope this isn't about the heating coil. I thought I replaced that correctly.

"Any idea as to why some of your people would try to run over Ditmas?" Pul asked as he stepped in.

Shidar blinked in shock. "They… what?!" she yelped in genuine surprise. "Is Ditmas all right?"

"Yeah, two kriffing furballs on a Hover-scoot," Pul muttered, taking a seat next to Shidar on the bed. "They drove at him, hit the curb, and crashed."

Shidar fought the momentary urge to scoot away. "Glad he's okay," she lied. "No idea though," she growled honestly. "Maybe they were tryin' to rob him? Knock him out and take his stuff."

"Rob him?" Pul asked.

"Kiz. Or somethin' like, somethin' like," Shidar said with a Spacer shrug. "It happens."

o-o-o

Tav Mi'zya

Even in middle age, Tav secretly found being angry to be fun. He could use it as an excuse to blow off some steam, snarl, maybe even bite someone—in a non-professional setting. In the Marshalcy on the other hand, he enjoyed indulging his anger by making his underlings squirm.

Being scared on the other hand was no fun at all. As he took a sip of Corellian Sunrise, he stared around the room. At 1307 hours, he was the only Bothan in-uniform drinking. There were a few civilians in the Manda Cantina and a few retired cops.

Tav figured that, very soon, Gavin Azi'skar will wish to speak with him about the fact that he ordered Bothan Marshals to drive a Hover-scoot and run over a pedestrian, putting other pedestrians in danger.

He took a huge gulp of Corellian Sunrise into his snout. I am an alcoholic. Gavin Azi'skar will see that I am an alcoholic when he summons me in the next thirty minutes.

The last time Tav got into trouble, back when he was a Captain, he turned himself in to the Marshalcy Security Forces, drunk in the afternoon. Completely inebriated. His promotion to Major was delayed by three years but, importantly, the sly Bothan got ordered to rehab as opposed to being discharged from the Marshalcy. Being discharged, for Tav, was a worst-case scenario.

His wife was Nezir Mi'trek—daughter of Admiral Liska Gyar'trek, Grum of Clan Otrek. There was no in the Galaxy Tav was more afraid of than that Admiral who wolfed down spicy food and, if rumours were true, had fought in numerous Black Ops insurgencies, executed civilians, armed even worse people. Tav's impression of her was that she was a cold blooded killer.

I need to appear to be an alcoholic when I explain the situation to Azi'skar. Shidar being missing drove me back to drinking—yeah that'll work. Azi'skar will come anytime now… anytime. I am just a pathetic alcoholic.

His fur swirled guilty. I feel guilty not because what I am doing is wrong, but because I am afraid of being caught, Tav told himself. It was a mantra he had developed. His fur gave one more guilty twitch then stopped swirling.

o-o-o

Klayer To'lya

"I will drive," Klayer snarled to Grafisk.

"Sorry ma'am," the Sergeant sighed, walking around one of the Marshalcy Field Office's TW-6 transit speeder vans.

Recruit Malazor Ni'fon stepped into the back-most compartment of the fan and took a seat, smiling.

Klayer glared at her in the rear mirror. Her fur stood on end. "Why are you smiling Malazor Ni? Do you find this amusing?"

"No ma'am," Malazor said simply. "I just haven't seen the Mandalorian Consulate yet. It looked really rogue in the camera footage."

"All right," Klayer sighed as she turned on the ignition. She looked in the rear-view camera as she put the speeder in reverse. Now to get Gavresk and Mayer out of there… Diplomatically.

o-o-o

"Mapask!" [Rogue!] Malazor yipped excitedly as the boxy TannenWorks speeder van pulled up in front of the Consulate.

Klayer parked the van and glared wearily at the cubic structure. "Berita ba wu jov?" [Are you ready?] she whispered to her team.

"Kiz ma'am." [Yes ma'am,] Grafisk sighed wearily.

Malazor looked around the van, realised everyone was staring at her, then bellowed "Kiz ma'am!"

"Don't give them a reason to be afraid of us," Klayer growled in Basic then stepped of the van. She pulled her patrol cap from her pocket and put it on. It sat tightly between her ears.

Klayer looked across the street, past all of the Thellus police cars that had established a perimeter—past them to the desolate sand. On the edge of the sand, as usual, stood a single Mandalorian. I wonder if that guard is Captain Saxon.

Taking her first hesitant step into the street, she took a deep breath. Then another step, and another.

"Ma'am?" a human Thellus police officer asked.

"We are going in to clear this up," Klayer growled.

"Good luck," she muttered, stepping out of the way of the Marshals.

Right before she reached the last police car, Kothlis-smelling, shaggy, blonde furred reporter leapt out excitedly in front of her. [Lieutenant?]

[Klayer To'lya, we are quite busy and—]

[Can you just answer a few questions for our viewers?]

The three Marshals ignored her continuing towards the sand.

[Was this an intentional act of aggression against the Mandalorians? Is there—WAIT!] the reporter yelped.

Klayer's fur fell flat as she reached the yellow line.

"Can I help you?" the Mandalorian asked.

Klayer sighed in relief upon hearing Fraedrak Saxon's voice. I know you are a Captain. We are all allies here… We are allied soldiers, not enemies. She stood still and raised her right hand up in, palm facing out, thumb brushing her ear, in a Bothan salute. "Good afternoon, sir."

[Why are we saluting?!] Grafisk growled.

[Sergeant!] Klayer yelped, holding her salute.

Grafisk and Malazor reluctantly saluted the Mandalorian.

Fraedrak cocked his helmeted head curiously. Then he raised his hand, with his palm facing down towards his shoulder, in a Mandalorian salute.

Klayer's ears perked up. That's a weird salute… I guess humans don't have our ears though. She lowered her salute. Her fur danced with excitement at her own ingenuity. "Sir, we are here to see that our people are being held humanely, and to ask for their release."

"All right Lieutenant," Fraedrak said. "I was already authorised to let their commanding officer through. I am surprised Colonel Mi'zya is not here."

"Oh," Klayer growled, "Well sir, he's busy." I am not going to defend Tav Mi'zya. Not at all.

Without asking another question, Fraedrak let them through. The three Bothans walked down the narrow metal sidewalk bisecting the white sand on either side. Under the full-spectrum light produced by New Aroo's urban lighting, the Bothans could see the organic shadows cast on the sand from where Gavresk and Mayer had landed. One gob of sand was visibly stained in blood.

The sliding doors opened automatically. A uniformed Mandalorian stood in the entrance, regarding the three Bothans.

Klayer had no idea how Mandalorian ranks worked. "Good afternoon sir," she growled cautiously. "I am Lieutenant Klayer To'lya, these are two of mine, Sergeant Grafisk Rey'tiv and Recruit Malazor Ni'fon."

"Greetings," the man said, shaking their hands. "I am Lieutenant Commander Hoshap Murt. Your men are in our hospital wing."

"May we see them?" Klayer growled. Her fur swirled with nervousness.

"Certainly, follow me. We would appreciate it if you could explain some things to us, Lieutenant," he said gruffly.

"I'll try sir," Klayer sighed.

o-o-o

The five reunited Bothans, along with the Consulate's Medical Attaché, Carla Viszla, and Lieutenant Commander Murt, now were huddled in the hospital wing.

Gavresk and Mayer both had gobs of bacta cream smeared on their tender noses. Gavresk had several stitches on his right arm, and Mayer's hand was in a white cast.

"Sir, ma'am, would it be possible for me to speak with them alone?" Klayer growled to the Mandalorians.

"Oh, you are all free to go, after you submit to DNA tests," Carla Viszla said as she pulled out swabs.

Klayer scowled, blinking at the Mandalorians incredulously. "May I ask why?"

"We are conducting our own investigation," Murt explained. "We have several prints and DNA samples from the Hover-scoot. We want to know exactly who was responsible for its construction, who gave the order to run over a pedestrian. We really what to know what the hell is happening at youruh… field office."

Klayer's fur swirled nervously. She looked to Grafisk. His fur was flat.

Pausing for a moment to consider her options, she opened her snout to say something, then closed it. Finally, she exhaled despondently. "I don't think I am authorised to do that, sir."

"YES, YOU KRIFFING ARE!" a female Bothan voice yelped from the hallway.

Klayer spun around in shock. A short Bothan in formal wear with a badge on her black blouse stormed into the room angrily. "I am ambassador Dzhithra Kay'lya and I am ordering you door-lickers to give the Mandalorians a DNA test."

"Ma'am I—"

"An Alya! A member of my Clan behaving this way! I apologise on behalf of my entire Clan," the boisterous Bothan said, shaking her head in dismay.

"I am sorry ma'am," Klayer mumbled, taking a swab from the doctor and running it around the inside of her mouth. Her fur swirled faster than ever.

Without saying a word, within five seconds, Mayer, Gavresk, Grafisk, and Malazor all had swabs in their mouths.

"I want you Marshals to stop whatever it is you are doing. No more interplanetary embarrassments. Am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am," the Marshals all chanted.

o-o-o

The crowds outside the Consulate had grown. Now, hundreds of Askars stood waving anti-Bothawui occupation posters and anti-war posters.

"Those in-bred spacer idiots," Gavresk snarled. "They really think we were intentionally attacking the Mandalorian Embassy?"

"It's a Consulate," Klayer growled cautiously. "Just smile and look friendly. We are not trying to attack anyone. We are all friends here."

Klayer's fur fell flat as she approached the edge of the sand. Their Marshalcy speeder van was on the back of a load-lifter, in preparation to be towed. "WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO OUR SPEEDER?!" she yelped, running to the Thellus border.

The five Marshals crossed the border, three in blue uniforms, two still in civilian attire. "Officer!" Klayer snarled furiously, "I—"

"Lieutenant Klayer To'lya, Tech Sergeant Gavresk Ra'jia, Sergeant Grafisk Rey'tiv, Corporal Mayer Ta'trek, Recruit Malazor Ni'fon?" a Bothan cop growled wearily.

"Yes," Klayer snarled. "Those are our names and ranks. Now why—"

"You are under arrest for attempted vehicular homicide, compelling someone to commit vehicular homicide, violating the Consular and Embassy Premises Act of 131 BrS, and failure to take due care while operating a motorised vehicle."

"I—WHAT?!" Klayer yelped in terror as dozens of cops closed in on all sides.

"Gavresk was driving!" Mayer yelped. "I was just a passenger."

"Wow," Gavresk snarled at Mayer. "It was one thing when you were in shock, I—OUCH!" he yelped as he was forced into handcuffs "I have stitches!"

"He has stitches!" Klayer snarled as his wrist started bleeding. "Mayer is in a cast, please be gentle with them."

Two cops tried to fruitless clip a handcuff around Mayer's cast. It was far too wide for the cuff to fit around. With a Spacer shrug, they each grabbed one of her arms and led her along.

The five Marshals were led by the Thellus police through the jeering and yipping crowds towards a police speeder.

Malazor quaked in terror in her seat.

"It'll be okay," Klayer growled, staring down at her cuffed hands. "This is insane. Once Tav explains that we had a warrant, that we were watching Ditmas Shar, a terrorist, we'll get off. This probably won't even be on our records."

o-o-o

Tav Mi'zya

Three hours had gone by and no call from Gavin Azi'skar or anyone else. Tav was starting to get angry. Gavin Azi'skar doesn't even care, Tav thought angrily. Fine. I'll go home.

Tav stood up and growled in a slurry voice, thįkųyų[thanks,] sliding the bartender a 25 Zav bill.

The bartender gave a Spacer hand-nod and started counting out his change.

"Colonel Tav Mi'zya?" a voice asked.

Tav turned around. Two Thellus cops, one, a female with jet-black fur a lot like Shidar's, and the other, a male with brown fur.

"Yeah? What of it?" Tav slurred.

"Sir, you are going to have to come with us," the brown furred one urged.

Huh. By the time these guys get me to Azi'skar, I will have sobered up. NO THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. Tav's fur stood on end even angrier.

The two cops shifted nervously, their hands lowering to their tasers.

If I am going to be an alcoholic, I have to really act out. Besides, I could have a bit of fun doing it, Tav thought. He flashed a feral grin and moved his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"Adrenal Implant M activated," a familiar robotic voice said in Tav's head. "Adrenaline levels increasing by 80%. To deactivate or abort, move your tongue in movement Resh."

No, I won't be deactivating this. "So, you kids wanna tussel!" Tav snarled at the young Bothan cops, his eyes dilated.

"No sir, we just need your cooperation," the black furred one growled nervously.

"Sir, if you would please—"

—Tav's fist connected with the brown furred Bothan's face. He yelped in pain, holding his snout. Tav kicked the female Bothan cop in the pelvis, knocking her down.

Patrons began screaming. The bartender was screaming to the cops manning the security station at the door.

Tav's fur danced with excitement. Everyone will see what a mess I am! They'll think I was drunk when I gave those orders and… I get to bite. "You Askar's think you are tough shtak with your whitened teeth huh? I'll show you Bothawui teeth!" He bit into the brown-furred Bothan's snout, applying enough pressure to break the skin, but not enough to break his bones.

Both of the cops tased him. Through his adrenaline enhancements, Tav only felt a slight burn. A mild inconvenience. Once the brown-furred cop dropped his taser, Tav released his snout.

The cop fell to ground yelping and wailing.

Tav's fur danced with feral excitement. "SCREAM YOU STUPID SPACERS!" he yelled.

"SHTAK!" the male cop swore, screaming and yelping in terror.

Tav flashed a feral grin. Damn! Forgot how fun this is! Yeah, they'll believe I am an alcoholic now!

The black-furred cop whacked him in the face with a stool. Tav felt his cartilage on his nose crunch. "OH, YOU'LL REGRET THAT BITCH!" he slurred, blood in his mouth.

She swung at him again.

He dodged and bit her arm.

She yelped, dropping the stool as Tav's teeth cut through her police sleeve. She collapsed, beginning to drag Tav down with her.

Tav released her arm, satisfied with her yelps, and allowed her to fall. This is getting out of control. I had my fun. They submitted to my might. Time to stop. He turned around, expecting to see a bunch of cops he could surrender to.

"Oh, Colonel, you kriffing bastard," snarled a Bothawui Marine wearing a Sergeant rank.

Tav looked up. Six Marines were staring at him, all with their eyes dilated.

He slurred at them, "Now kids—"

—The six Marines tackled him, snarling, kicking, and punching.

Tav collapsed to the floor, yelping in terror.

Then, one of the Marines bit his head. Soon after, another bit Tav's ear.

Tav yelped, his blonde fur falling flat. "HOLY SHTAK! I'M SORRY!" HOLY SHTAK I AM DEAD! THEY ARE GOING TO KILL ME! "PLEASE!" he yelped in terror.

"BREAK IT UP!" a voice yelled.

After a few more angry kicks, the Marines left Tav on the ground.

A dozen Thellus cops, ten Bothans and two humans, stormed into the Manda Cantina blasters drawn.

"We have two officers down in the Manda Cantina!" a cop stammered into the comm. "It looks like we found Tav Mi'zya. Injured and high on spice."

As Tav's adrenaline wore off, he rolled onto his side and vomited. "I am jus' alcoholic. No spice—I" he stammered desperately in a slurry voice, then blacked out on the cantina floor. His bloody snout opened as he breathed heavily through his mouth. His flat fur relaxed as he slipped into unconsciousness.